The Argonauts John or Jean Francois ???????

[DetectorGuy]

Good to Go USDiver. I was just messing with you. I usually don't just go with the flow but put a bit of spin on a conversation to get people riled up and talking. I agree that there are so many facets of diving and everyone has a different way to enjoy diving. I would like to go diving somewhere warm where the water is clear and the bottom is full of neat things to see. The reality for me is only to enjoy that for a week a year, and the other 51 weeks I get to work hard enough to afford to go again the following year. In those 51 weeks up here in the tundra that some call Minnesota, I make the most of it, and dive where I can, as often as I can. The dive shops here are all doing a great job, and with the tough economy, they need all the business they can muster. I am pretty sure I need them more than they need me. When I was picking on Padi, it was just one simple divers opinion. Of my 7 C-cards, 4 of them are Padi and 3 are Naui. With no more Naui shops in the state, it feels like the "Put Another Dollar In" organization is cornering the market. Once the fox is in the hen house, there are no more checks and balances. It would be good to have divers get a training that is not watered down for the "vacation only divers" as some of them might just want to eventually get into diving on a regular basis but not really get their moneys worth. I know the quality of training is all based on the instructor and the level at which he or she teaches. This level of training could be just the minimum required by Padi, or it could be above and beyond what Padi requires. You do have to agree that Padi as an organization is getting softer by the month. Pretty soon you will be able to pull up to a drive through kiosk in your renta-car at some swanky vacation resort and slip in 4 Ben Franklin's and pull out a shiny new C-card. Kidding of course but you get my drift (pun intended).